Shark Attack - Fact

[vladimir]

My issue is, if that doesn't happen in his entire life of diving like 25 or 30 yrs that DOES NOT RULE OUT the possibility of a shark attack.

I need your opinions about this issue and whether or not "avoid shark attack by using common strategies should be taught at the open water diving course"

Thank you

No, it should not be taught. Nobody can rule out every risk. Life is, to a large extent, about prioritizing risks. Unfortunately, many of us, including you, it seems, are not very good at it. We worry about the bird flu instead of our cigarette smoking and obesity. We worry about mad cow disease instead of buckling our seatbelts when we drive and wearing a helmet when we bicycle. And we worry about shark attack when we should be focusing on the basic dive skills that prevent drowning and DCI.

Of course, knowing what to do in the event of a shark attack, or knowing how to avoid a shark attack, might be valuable knowledge if the .000001% event actually occurs. But in the context of an open water course, especially the quickie courses often offered these days, I am afraid it might crowd out some learning that might actually mitigate the real risks of diving. Worse, it will tend to reinforce the mis-prioritizing of shark attack in the risk hierarchy.

 

[H2Andy]

Many of us, including you, it seems, are not very good at prioritizing risks. We worry about the bird flu instead of our cigarette smoking and obesity. We worry about mad cow disease instead of buckling our seatbelts and wearing a helmet when we bicycle.

yo

+1

 

[Puffer Fish]

Thanks adurso for your comment, but do you personally think this sentence "Do not act like prey" would help a diver that has logged 5 dives in his life (i.e. a new certified diver)????

Well, then don't act like prey - but you are most likely correct.

For the record, I'm an instructor, and I have seen lots of sharks..including a 12 - 13 ft dusky from around 4 ft three weeks ago.

One of the reasons you got the reaction you did (at least I hope this is one of the reasons) about sharks.. is that in general, if you are not spear fishing, they don't really bother you.

Sharks, like a lot of potentially dangerous stuff, are not something you really need to be worrying about. Sort of like being hit by a meteorite.. yea it could hurt you, but would not suggest you spend every waking moment looking up.

However, if you do get lucky enough to see one..some simple advice:

1. Check how the shark is acting...if he(or she) is relaxed, then you can be relaxed.

2. Know a little about which sharks might be around and if there is something special you should know... the grey reef shark, for example, has a warning display that if you see, you should pay attention to.

3. Don't do stupid things, just relax and be thankful you get to see one.

If you want to get bit by a shark, my suggestion would be to get a paddle board and go out in a known bull shark area and splash around a lot...

I strongly believe that for the most part.. that neoprene does not taste good... that our electrical signature is really odd to them and that because we can look at them... we are not something they think of as food.

Ok, I have been hit by a large oceanic white tip...been circled by a pack of bulls...been in the water with a great white (that did seem to have a different view of what is or is not food)... but those are very rare encounters...and none were places that a new diver would go. and none were so deadly that I did not get out alive.

My reaction when I see a shark (as in the video from a couple of weeks ago) is to enjoy the encounter... ok, it is only a nurse shark...but it is pretty good sized:

MVI_0948.flv video by garinj - Photobucket

Had that been a tiger or a hammer head, I would have done the same thing. Had it been a grey reef or a mako.. I would not have.

And no, I don't think it needs to be covered in basic scuba...as there are a lot more dangerous things that can hurt you that need to be covered.

 

[mRNA]

Well, thanks a lot guys for your replies.

Valdimir, you're right about statistics and we can't teach and give a lesson about every danger in our life. But I want you to have a look in this forum about a thread called "shark attack killed a diver".

They were saying the lady saw a big fish then she jump-off the boat to get closer which causes the attack.

Now, if we follow what you were saying by not teaching these stuff or if we consider it as a waste of time "for the instructor", I can't really see a waste of time in that but some of you could. However, if that lady was educated about this issue and about the danger of this big fish, would that have saved her life?

We can't say "she was stupid" no she was not. she wasn't educated about this type of marine animal. We can's assume everyone knows that playing with sharks is something dangerous unless we educate people about it.

Cheers

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I think the original poster has asked a reasonable question.

The fact is, most divers will never be involved in an out of air situation, but we teach them what to do.

Most divers will never be in a situation where they will need to drop a weight belt at the surface, but we instruct them about that.

Practically no recreational divers suffer DCS but we teach them the symptoms.

So what's wrong with answering the question about sharks?

I don't know about anyone else, but there are lots of places where divers see sharks up close and personal all the time. I dive with sharks on many dives each year. Clearly there are places where it is more unlikely to see a shark, or any particular underwater creature. But sharks are in all the oceans of the world, and a few rivers, actually.

To answer a student's question, I would first of all say "it depends on the kind of shark." Some sharks are more aggressive than others and with a few, I'd prefer to get out of the water.

For most sharks, I'd say we should respect them, as we respect all living beings in the water and not antagonize them. They will stear clear of us.

Jeff

 

[porbeagle]

Hi mRNA.
First,your profile does not show where you are from,therefor the species of sharks you may
encounter is not possible to speculate on.All species have their own unique behaviour,and within each species each shark is an individual capable of different patterns of behavior at
different times of day/year/age.For instance,it had been thought that holding an upright
position in the water column would be perceived as unnatural by sharks and would invite an
attack.Now this is not generally believed.Bottom line is that there are no hard and fast rules
to be taught.That they don't hold up in all cases or with all species.Perhaps the best advice
is to remain relaxed in their presence,understand that sharks worldwide have taken a beating
and their populations are in massive decline,therefore chances of encounter are less
compared with say 25 years agrganizations like PADI,for instance,cannot teach and
perhaps be liable for a study still in its infancy.After many years of working with sharks, my
advice to you is to read up on shark behavior, follow threads here on SB's shark forum on
encounters by divers,and understand that there are far greater dangers to think about
while diving.
PORBEAGLE

 

[H2Andy]

check out this thread:


http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-videography/289996-blue-ocean-film-fest-winners.html

 

[adurso]

Ok; sharks are apex predators, like all apex predators they are careful about their hunting; if they make a mistake and are injured they become prey.

You in the water are somehting strange and unusual, to a predator strange and unusual may be a snack, or may be danger, so the predator will look you over.

Sharks rely, in part, on something called the ampules of lorenzini, they are the things you see on sharks that look like oversized pores. These ampules are filled with a jelly-like substance, these ampules act as electromagnetic receptors and aid in hunting.

You, with a tank on your back, and other metals, send out magnetic signals which make the shark curious at first, but upon closer inspection will make them more prone to go away.

You can, by adopting an agressive posture, put yourself in the category of "things which are not prey and may cause injury" thus sending the shark away. Putting yourself vertical in the water, growling, roaring and the like aid in making yourself not appear as prey.

Dropping to the bottom, depending on depth, will put you in a good defensive position.

As Andy mentioned, even in your limited dives sharks have more than likely seen you and continued on their way.

If you see a shark arching it's back, dropping it's pectoral fins, and gaping it's jaws, it has adopted an agressive posture and you should be elsewhere, or go into your agressive posture.

Walter had a run in with a bull shark a couple of years ago see this: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/139959-running-bulls.html

His encounter is rare.
When people tell you that you are lucky to see a shark, they are not kidding.
I live in Virginia, we dive on the WWII wrecks off the coast here, and in Carolina, my wife and children dive as well, my kids first were exposed to sand tigers at 11years old, the same year they encountered nurse sharks and black tips in the keys. They have also seen bulls, hammerheads and bonnetheads.
Whenever I have a camera all large creatures avoid me underwater...

Hope this helps

 

[Puffer Fish]

Well, thanks a lot guys for your replies.

Valdimir, you're right about statistics and we can't teach and give a lesson about every danger in our life. But I want you to have a look in this forum about a thread called "shark attack killed a diver".

They were saying the lady saw a big fish then she jump-off the boat to get closer which causes the attack.

Now, if we follow what you were saying by not teaching these stuff or if we consider it as a waste of time "for the instructor", I can't really see a waste of time in that but some of you could. However, if that lady was educated about this issue and about the danger of this big fish, would that have saved her life?

We can't say "she was stupid" no she was not. she wasn't educated about this type of marine animal. We can's assume everyone knows that playing with sharks is something dangerous unless we educate people about it.

Cheers

There have been a fair number of shark attacks in the northern gulf coast by Bulls, and from tigers in the pacific..almost all have been with people on the surface. Divers, it seems, for the most part, are not considered the same sort of potential meal.

Oceanic white tips are one of the sharks one should not be jumping in the water with...just as one should not run up and try to pet a lion....

 

[luckydays]

I think the PADI course teaches about marine life and the inherent risks of diving with animals in their habitat. You might want to look that up again. I remember my instructor talking about what to watch out for.

On my first ocean dive ever I saw a nurse shark. At the time, I had no idea the difference between a nurse shark and a great white (ok size not being a factor). At first, the shark was just sitting on the ledge about 15 feet away. I stared for a second, and then it go spooked. Probably by my bubbles in the water. I freaked for a second, then watched it swim away. It was exciting and I thought I was going to have a heart attack for a second or two, then I just watched it majestically swim away in to the blue. It was a cool experience. And then I found out that the shark was not an aggressive type once I hit the boat.

The consensus is that sharks will rarely attack unless provoked or when it thinks dinner is near by. A diver under water does not really look like dinner to a shark. The few attacks that come to my mind, were during a feeding frenzy or surfers who look like turtles or seals. Divers dont look like turtles and I have no desire to be in the water with sharks at dinner time.

I am nervous at every shark sighting but now just take it in. If I shark wants to mistake me for dinner, there is very little that I am going to be able to do about it. However, thanks to SB, I have watched the Myth Busters episode about shark attacks, and I know that if it is possible, I am supposed to hit the shark in the eyes or gills. I will do my best, but I bet that if the shark is looking at me like I look at lobster, I am a goner and there is very little I can do about it, just like the lobster.